Nebraska DL Colton Feist will not return in 2023

One day after 2022 team captain Garrett Nelson announced he would not return to Nebraska for the 2023 season, Colton Feist did the same.

Inside Nebraska has confirmed Feist will move on from the football program and not return for a sixth season.

“It’s been one hell of a ride, but it’s time to hang them up,” Feist wrote on Instagram. “Thankful for all the memories and relationships I have made along the way. Thank you Husker Nation!”

The 6-foot-2, 275-pound Feist, who emerged as a key contributor at the interior of the Huskers’ defensive line in 2022, played all 12 games in 2022 and was second on the team in tackles for loss with seven. According to Pro Football Focus, Feist played 540 snaps, which was second-most among interior lineman, behind Ty Robinson's 583.

Feist recorded a career-high 10 tackles against Wisconsin, and his 46 tackles on the season were eighth on the team and first among interior linemen.

Feist, who joined the program as a walk-on from Yutan, Nebraska, was set to earn playing time in 2021, but injuries forced him to miss the first two games. He played in eight straight games after that, mostly as a backup, but another injury sidelined him for the remaining two games.

With Feist's departure, Nebraska's scholarship interior defensive linemen left on the roster include returning Huskers Robinson, Stephon Wynn Jr., Nash Hutmacher and Ru'Quan Buckley along with newcomers Elijah Jeudy, a Texas A&M transfer, and 2023 class true freshmen Riley Van Poppel and Vincent Carroll-Jackson.